Parents and Their Deaf Children: The Early Years

2. Communication Conundrum: Family Solutions

Chapter 1 Letter to Parents, Survey Questionnaire, and Interview Guides 12 Chapter 2 Communication Conundrum: Family Solutions Within the first day after we found out, I knew I had to start signing with her because . . . nobody could tell me whether she’d ever be able to hear enough to learn how to talk, and I didn’t want a frustrated child or—or me. So it was a real easy decision. I didn’t even think twice about it. (Survey 293) [He] was already learning speech . . . and [we wanted him to] keep going with it—being oral. He has some hearing; he has some residual hearing; he’s already speaking. He wants to speak.“Do it!”It wasn’t even a decision. It was made for me rather than me making one. I never even thought of sign language, to be honest with you. Unless he was going to go totally deaf and then, you know, obviously I was going to have to go sign language. (Survey 76)1 Communication is the central concern for families with children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Parents struggle to establish effective communication in their families and ensure that their children receive the necessary support from schools and professionals. Early language acquisition and child and family functioning, regardless of the mode of communication , are critical to the overall development of the child with a hearing loss.However,parents and professionals may lose sight of this as they grapple with a decision. Recognizing the vital importance of effective com1 . Survey forms were numbered consecutively from 1 to 404 when they were received at Gallaudet. Numbers were also used to identify the interviewees.They are retained here merely to reflect the large number of different respondents included as sources. Excerpts from focus groups are also identified by a sequential numbering system. Communication Conundrum: Family Solutions 13 munication between families and children, researchers have studied the relationship between various methods of communication, child language outcomes, academic achievement, and social development (Calderon & Greenberg,1997;Carney & Moeller,1998;Desselle,1994;Geers & Moog, 1992; Greenberg, Calderon, & Kusché, 1984; Lynas, 1999; MeadowOrlans , 1987; Vacarri & Marschark, 1997; Yoshinaga-Itano, 2000).2 Communication mode and parent-child interactions have also been the subject of numerous investigations (Calderon & Greenberg, 1997), and research has more recently focused on the quality of communication and overall family functioning (Rosenbaum, 2000). Despite efforts to determine the best mode of communication for children with hearing loss, definitive answers remain elusive (Carney & Moeller, 1998). Early attempts to determine the most appropriate communication approach were based on a system that weighted factors such as degree of hearing loss and presence of additional conditions (Downs, 1974; Geers & Moog, 1987). Stredler-Brown (1998) suggests that professionals can make recommendations based on a data-driven approach utilizing assessment protocols that focus on the child’s development and parentchild interactions, along with consideration of parent preference. Attempts to reduce the decision to an objective, quantifiable measure that minimizes the importance of subjective variables that influence parental choices may have limited success. In a recent study of factors contributing to parents’ selection of a communication mode, Eleweke and Rodda (2000) find that decisions are heavily influenced by the information parents receive, perceptions of the effectiveness of assistive technology, attitudes of service professionals, and the quality and availability of support services. Steinberg and Bain (2001) conclude from interviews with 30 families that communication decisions are based as 2. See the following websites and books for a description of the different modes of communication that people who are deaf or hard of hearing commonly use: http://www.beginningssvcs.com; http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/SupportServices/ series/4010.html; Choices in Deafness:A Parent’s Guide to Communication Options (2nd edition ), Sue Schwartz (Ed.); The Silent Garden: RaisingYour Deaf Child (2nd edition), by Paul W. Ogden. 14 Chapter 2 much on child and parent characteristics as they are on the information and guidance that professionals provide and the availability and quality of services.Parental knowledge,experiences,and personalities influenced the communication decisions of one family who participated in Spencer’s in-depth study (2000a). Kluwin and Gaustad (1991) suggest that attitudes about hearing loss, acceptance of a child with a disability, and parental expectations for the child’s role in the family influence the family’s communication decision. Decisions are often complicated by perceived time pressures, that is, the need to develop early language, the ability to understand complicated information, and the parents’ emotional state (Steinberg & Bain, 2001). Steinberg and Bain interviewed...